- Buyer's Guide - Which personal product should I buy?
Buyer's Guide - Which personal product should I buy?
For each TurboTax version, you have the choice of using our Online version through your browser, or the Desktop Software version which you install on your computer. You’ll find links for more information about each of these options in the sections below. To compare features, visit our Personal Taxes Page.
- We recommend TurboTax Basic if
- We recommend TurboTax Deluxe if
- We recommend TurboTax Premier if
- We recommend TurboTax Home & Business if
For your reference, here's some help with TurboTax System Requirements.
We recommend TurboTax Basic if
- You have income to report, such as W-2, 1099, social security, or alimony.
- You don't pay state taxes.
- You rent your home or apartment (don't own a home).
- You have education expenses.
- You don't make many charitable contributions or have many deductions to claim (if any).
- You didn't sell investments, such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds.
To see which forms are included in TurboTax Basic, click here and select the Included Forms link.
Learn more about TurboTax Online Basic
We recommend TurboTax Deluxe if
- You file one or more state returns.
- You own a home or sold your home in 2008.
- You made charitable contributions in 2008.
- You had a lot of medical expenses in 2008.
- You didn't sell investments, such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds.
- You don't own rental property.
- You don't have your own business (or file a Schedule C).
To see which forms are included in TurboTax Deluxe, click here and select the Included Forms link.
Note: Deluxe is a great choice if you know your taxes are complicated, but don’t know which product to choose. If you hit a point where a higher level product could help you out, TurboTax will point this out, and give you the opportunity to upgrade right within the product.Learn more about TurboTax Online Deluxe
We recommend TurboTax Premier if
- You file one or more state returns.
- You own rental property.
- You sold investments, such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds.
- You sold options from an employee stock plan, such as Non-qualified Stock Options (NQSOs), Incentive Stock Options (ISOs), or Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPPs).
- You're a partner in a partnership business where you received a Schedule K-1.
- You're the beneficiary of an estate or trust where you received a Schedule K-1.
- You don't have your own business.
- You don't file a Schedule C.
- You don't receive self-employment income from contract, consulting, or freelance work.
To see which forms are included in TurboTax Premier Investments, click here and select the included forms link.
We recommend TurboTax Home & Business if
- You are a sole proprietor (you file a Schedule C). A sole proprietorship is a company with one owner that is not registered as a corporation.
Note: If you are incorporated or a partnership or multiple-member LLC, you'll need to use TurboTax Business to do your business return, plus one of our personal products. When you use TurboTax Business, you must also file a personal tax return.- You receive income from a business you run from your home or from a separate office (that isn't incorporated).
- You receive income from a side job, such as home-party sales like Tupperware or Mary Kay.
- You receive self-employment income from contract work, freelancing, or consulting services?
- You have multiple sole proprietor businesses.
- You need to prepare W-2 or 1099-MISC forms for employees and contractors (not available in TurboTax Online)
- You don't file separate returns for your business and personal income taxes.
- Your business is not an S corporation (Form 1120S), a partnership or limited liability company (LLC) (Form 1065) with more than one member, a C corporation (Form 1120), or an estate or trust (Form 1041).
To see which forms are included in TurboTax Home & Business, click here and select the Included Forms link.
Learn more about TurboTax Online Home & Business
